Pa. Rep. Carroll pushes transit bill in House

Thursday

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:01 AM

State Rep. Mike Carroll plans to push a House bill that would provide $1.5 billion in needed transportation system funding: The cost? Increased fees for drivers and taxpayers; oh, and maybe some political careers as well.

MICHAEL SADOWSKI

State Rep. Mike Carroll plans to push a House bill that would provide $1.5 billion in needed transportation system funding.

The cost? Increased fees for drivers and taxpayers. Oh, and maybe some political careers as well.

Carroll calls the higher costs for road warriors a "fee." But he knows what constituents and future election opponents will call it: A tax.

"It's the price to pay for the enhanced road and transportation network that's necessary," said Carroll, D-118, a member of the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee.

He made his comments Wednesday after a regional transportation summit in Dickson City set up by state Sen. John Blake, D-22.

The House and Senate have come up with slightly different plans, but according to Carroll, the plans are "by and large" the same. Both include a recommendation to uncap the state's oil company franchise tax, which could result in $1.5 billion in new funding over the next five years, Blake said. While Blake said oil companies likely would absorb some of the cost, consumers also would see increases.

The plan's intricacies include an average cost to road users of about 70 cents a week in the first year — about $36 — and about $2.55 a week by the fifth year, about $132 a year. It also would include changes in the fee structures for vehicle registrations.

The plan won't pass this year, but both Blake and Carroll said they expect some kind of movement next year.

The additional funding would be just to maintain and enhance current infrastructure, not just for state roads and bridges, but at the county and municipal levels as well.

"Our local and county governments will not be forgotten," Carroll said.

But the plan is a tough sell to House lawmakers whose jobs come up for a vote every two years. Carroll said transportation improvement is too important to ignore in the name of political self-preservation.

Monroe County, Blake said, has the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the state at almost 34 percent and has 167 miles of road that are considered in poor condition by federal standards.

Wednesday's summit drew state and regional transportation leaders that included Carroll, Monroe County Transit Authority Director Peggy Howarth and Larry Malski, executive director of the Pennsylvania Northeast Railroad Authority. The authority is a joint venture between Monroe and Lackawanna counties to oversee rail service in the two counties.

State Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch had been scheduled to attend, but had to cancel Tuesday night because of a scheduling conflict.

George Roberts, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Director for District 4, who took Schoch's place at the summit, said all PennDOT districts have a 10-year plan for how they would use any extra money.

"We're in a position to react quickly if we get additional funding," he said.